FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
YEAR A
21 December 2025
INTRODUCTION
Commentator: Good morning/evening. My name is ………. and I would like to wish you a warm welcome to our Mass at Holy Spirit Church, Kurri Kurri/ St Joseph’s, Cessnock/ St Francis Xavier’s Abermain/ St Michael’s, Wollombi/
The priest celebrating with us today is Father James/Father Raphael and assisting him is Deacon Viane.
In the midst of so many things to get ready, prepare, put in order and readjust, the readings and prayers remind us of the upcoming feast. The readings concern the events that prepared immediately for the Lord’s birth. Please stand for our opening hymn.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And with your spirit.
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
Commentator: We light this purple candle of PEACE to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, blessings to people of Good Will.”
Presider: Lord Jesus, your coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah when he proclaimed 'The maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Emmanuel, a name which means God is with us.’
All: Come Lord Jesus
Presider: Lord Jesus, you come among us now in your Word and Sacrament to give us the strength to live according to the Good News you revealed.
All: Come Lord Jesus
Presider: Lord Jesus, you will come in glory in the fullness of time because you are the Christ the one who has saved his people from their sins.
All: Come Lord Jesus
Candle of Hope, Candle of Faith, Candle of Joy and Candle of Peace are lit
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son
was made known by the message of an Angel,
may by his Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Isaiah 7:10-14
A reading from the prophet Isaiah
The virgin will conceive.
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, 'Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.' 'No,' Ahaz answered 'I will not put the Lord to the test.'
Then Isaiah said:
'Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Emmanuel,
a name which means "God-is-with-us".'
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Ps 23:1-6
R. Let the Lord enter;
he is king of glory.
The Lord's is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm. R.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things. R.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob. R.
Romans 1:1-7
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans
Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, is the Son of God.
From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures.
This news is about the Son of God, who, according to the human nature he took, was a descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, then, who are God's beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Matthew 1:23
Alleluia, alleluia!
A virgin will give birth to a son;
his name will be Emmanuel: God is with us. Alleluia!
Matthew 1:18-24
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus was born of Mary, the betrothed of Joseph, a son of David.
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means 'God-is-with-us'. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
At the words that follow, up to and including 'the Virgin Mary', all bow.
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Presider: God of mercy, because you are with us we have confidence that our prayers will be heard and answered.
That the leaders of God's People never cease to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
That all the nations may be brought into the obedience of faith in God and the justice of His holy laws, (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
That we may not weary God through resistance and unbelief, but like Mary and Joseph bring Him submissive hearts and trusting spirits, ready to rejoice in the wonders He wishes to work for us, (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
That Mary’s flame of virginal love and purity may illuminate and stand guard over our Advent prayers and preparations for the coming of her divine Son, (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
That the sick, the aged and the dying find peace in the knowledge that God is with them, (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
That hatred and violence in our world will be defeated and that the rights of Jewish people, and all people, will be upheld and protected. We pray for all those who died, were injured or traumatised by the Bondi shootings, (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
That those who have died especially our recently deceased ……. and the victims of the Bondi shooting and all those whose anniversaries occur around this time including ….. will take their place at the table of the eternal banquet (pause) In faith we pray:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Presider: Holy God, mighty God, we ask you to grant our prayers through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns now and forever. Amen.
Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.
May the Holy Spirit, O Lord,
sanctify these gifts laid upon your altar,
just as he filled with his power the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
For all the oracles of the prophets foretold him,
the Virgin Mother longed for him
with love beyond all telling,
John the Baptist sang of his coming
and proclaimed his presence when he came.
It is by his gift that already we rejoice
at the mystery of his Nativity,
so that he may find us watchful in prayer
and exultant in his praise.
And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
THE MYSTERY OF FAITH
Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.”
Let us pray.
Having received this pledge of eternal redemption,
we pray, almighty God,
that, as the feast day of our salvation draws ever nearer,
so we may press forward all the more eagerly
to the worthy celebration of the mystery of your Son's Nativity.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Thanks be to God.
© The scriptural quotations are taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Co Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. The English translation of the Psalm Responses, the Alleluia and Gospel Verses, and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, and the Titles, Summaries, and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass © 1997, 1981, 1968, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. The prayers are from the English Translation of the Roman Missal © 2010 International Committee on English in the Liturgy Inc. (ICEL). All rights reserved.